Behind Cold Nights
by ImagineTwentyWombats
Summary: Set in "Truman's Last Chance", What happened on the car ride home with Derek, Casey and Vicky? Does Casey show a side to Derek that he was not expecting? What does Derek say to Casey that changes her thoughts about him? Derek/Casey
1. Chapter 1

Casey shuffled quickly, awkwardly almost out of the house. She felt her breath quicken as she felt the night breeze on her skin. She knew what she was avoiding thinking about. She pulled at the door handle in a desperate sense, trying to shake her thoughts. She knew it was locked, and that was when she dropped her hand and looked at herself in the smudged glass.

"Wow Derek, you really need to clean your car." Casey said, mostly to herself as she rubbed her dampening eyes.

"Maybe you could put some of those tears to use and clean it for me." Derek said in a simple way. Almost sympathetically, but not quite.

Casey flinched backward and let out some sort of a laugh. It was the best she could do, but all that came out was a snot sounding release of breath. She sniffled again and crossed her arms. She saw in the glass that Derek was watching her. She let out a sigh as she turned around, facing Derek.

"Where's Vi—" Casey started, but Derek put up his finger. She pressed her lips together as she paused.

"She's in the house getting her—" He air quoted as he rolled his eyes, "_Things"_. He put his hands in his jean pockets and watched Casey again, wondering what to say to her.

Casey didn't do much but manage a small nod. It didn't really matter to her. That's what she had to keep telling herself. She never listened to Emily, like she should have. She never did a lot of things she should have. Her mind wandered as her vision became blurred again.

Derek moved slowly toward her, he talked in a light voice. The kind he used around Marti,

"Hey, don't cry Case—" He shifted his glance away from her eyes. He hated to see Casey cry. It was something he would never really tell her. It was on the list of the many things he could never tell her. "Just..." He paused, "Just listen to me for a sec," Derek put his hands into a steeple position and placed them to his lips. Derek was just about to speak when Vicky walked out; she wobbled a bit and giggled. Derek let out an exasperated sigh.

"Great. Just what we need, an intoxicated slut. Not like I can't find one of those myself."

Casey lifted her head in shock. Derek was obviously making a joke, but is that what he really thought of himself? Did he really think all he could get were "drunk, slutty girls? She watched as Derek tried to maneuver Vicky into the backseat. She wondered to herself if she was the only emotionally unstable one that night.

* * *

Derek had a tight grip on the steering wheel. He was stararing deeply ahead at the night sky. Vicky was babbling every few minutes. Her breath smelled of sour alcohol, which filled the car with every word she spoke. Casey shifted in her seat every time the smell grazed her nose.

She was always uncomfortable around the scent of any type of alcohol. It made her feel weak, knowing that a person can be so altered by drinking too much of it. She shivered at the thought and wiped her suddenly sweaty forehead. She wasn't hot at all. In fact, she was feeling very cold.

Derek's grip on the steering wheel tightened as he glanced at Casey. His brows furrowed as he saw her in her unstable state. He knew when she wasn't alright. That was now. Derek refocused his eyes onto the road quickly. Bright headlights blinded him momentarily. He swerved back into his lane with a temporary scare. Casey let out a small gasp as she gripped her seat.

"Sorry." Derek muttered, without much meaning behind it.

"I god-da pee." Vicky said uneasily while doing awkward body movements.

"Well you god-da wait," Derek replied snarly. "We're like ten minutes from your house." He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He couldn't wait to get her out of his car.

Casey began to speak quietly; trying to fight back tears, "Derek… she has a bladder problem. There's a gas station up here. Please, just—" Her voice broke slightly as she shook her head. "Just pull up here Derek." She said as firmly as she could. Derek nodded, though Casey didn't acknowledge it.

Derek pulled up to a sketchy gas station. He pressed the unlock button on his car and the lights turned on slowly.

"You have five minutes." Derek said as he looked coldly at Vicky. She rolled her eyes as she opened the door. Before Derek could intervene, Casey stepped out of the car.

"Casey, what the hell are you doing," Derek said a little more protective than he meant.

"Obviously, I'm getting out of the car to go into the gas station," She laughed a little and glanced at Derek. She rolled her eyes innocently at him."I'm getting something to snack on. I'll be back in a minute." Casey began to walk away when Derek called to her,

"Case," He said, watching her as she turned around. "Are you okay?" She let out a sigh, her breath showing the bitter temperature. She shifted her weight and ran her fingers through her hair.

"No, I'm not. But, what you did for me tonight meant a lot. I hope you know that." She kind of nodded to herself as she began walking into the gas station. Derek quickly yelled to her,

"Hey! Don't forget to get something for your loving step-brother," Derek said with a sly smile. Casey turned around and shook her head. "And maybe some tissues so you don't ruin the upholstery." Derek managed a playful wink as Casey's mouth gaped open at him. She laughed as she walked into the gas station, managing to trip on the curb before she stepped over.

Derek let out a quick laugh as he watched her walk in.

"Same 'ole Casey," He smirked to himself as he flipped on the radio. He tapped his foot to the music as he watched Casey pay for her guilty pleasure of assorted snacks. "Casey, Casey, Casey. I wonder what other guilty pleasures you have."

He felt a quick pain of guilt stream through his body. He turned up the music loudly and honked the horn. Casey looked to him in confusion. He averted her gaze. He wasn't so hungry anymore.

* * *

I hope you guys like this… I love Dasey so much. And I feel as if the Derek/Casey relationship needs to be a little revived. I'm planning on making this a few parts, but do not expect a fast update. I am a junior, which does mean I will be taking the ACT in a few days. I will try my best to update this story when I can, but I hope overall you enjoyed this first chapter. I have so many ideas with this story, and I'm excited to see where it'll turn out!

That's all.

-Linds


	2. Chapter 2

After five minutes of hardcore drum solos and smelling a scent of alcohol that lingered in his car, Derek decided to call Nora. He didn't know what else to do for Casey. He didn't know what else to do period. He reached for his pocket and pulled out his cell-phone. The answering machine was just about to play when Nora finally answered.

"Hey, Nora… We're coming back," Derek paused, waiting for Nora's reply. She was half-asleep. Derek expected her to be.

"Why? Well…" Derek paused. Should he tell Nora why? Or should he just let Casey? He decided to go with his gut.

"Truman kissed Vicky," Derek blurted it out. He didn't really mean to, but he figured he should just get it over with. He heard a gasp over the phone. He rolled his eyes a little bit, but expected a girly response.

"Yeah, I know. The scumbucket, bag, whatever term you want to use. We'll be home soon," Derek said with a tone of impatience. He didn't want Casey to see that he called Nora.

"You're welcome. What? What's that? You're breaking up—crshcrshcrsh…Alright bye!" Derek hung up the phone quickly. Nora knew he cut her off. He had to hang up though. She was about to say something about him caring for Casey. He didn't want to hear any more soap-opera, sappy crap tonight. He drummed his fingers, as he turned up the music. He was getting irritated again. He was having thoughts again. _Those _thoughts. His mind wandered for a moment.

"Damnit Derek, stop it!" He yelled, mostly at himself. No one could hear him over the music anyway. Derek honked the horn. He put his arms on the steering wheel and placed his head on his arms. He just wanted to go home.

* * *

Casey put the bag of off-brand chips into her mouth as she fished in her purse for money. A sudden honk made her jump. She gave a confused look to Derek. What's his rush? Casey wondered. Casey placed exact change onto the counter, giving the cashier a perky smile. The cashier popped his gum and gave Casey a blank stare.

"Thank you for your service." The cashier said in a completely monotone voice.

Casey's perky smile faded. She wrinkled her nose as she went to gather Vicky. She could still smell the alcohol, that's how she found Vicky, and the bathroom. She was coming out, wiping her mouth. Vicky approached Casey with wet glossy eyes.

"Let's go before I throw up more of my insides." Vicky slurred, her breath reeking of alcohol and sour vomit. Casey shifted her face so she wouldn't be in direct contact. She let out an annoyed sigh and dragged her cousin out of the gas station, and onto the pavement. She was done. Casey was done. She took hard, heavy steps to Derek's car, swinging open the door to the backseat. Derek gave her a confused look.

"Case, what're you—" Derek started, turning down the music. He was interrupted as Vicky ran into the side of the car with her hip. She dramatically and unnecessarily squeaked loudly. Clutching her hip, Vicky slid into the front seat.

"Why are you sitting in the—" Derek stopped talking as he gawked at Casey in alarm. She was grabbing for the seat-belt in some sort of a panic, but the seat-belt kept sticking in place as she tugged on it with way too much force.

"Casey, Casey, Casey. Calm down," Derek said as he turned around to look at her. He tried to hide his concern, but it was easily shadowed by Vicky's ignorance,

"Jee-sus Casey! You need to chill!" Vicky said, as she held her hand in front of Casey's face, as if "stating" something,

"I'm so-oo sorry Truman likes me more than you, I can't help it I'm more attractive!" She giggled to herself. Casey shoved Vicky's hand away from her and pushed the down button for the window. The cool air shuffled swiftly into the car, the scent of vomit and alcohol disappearing for a moment.

"Vicky, could you can it for a second?" Derek spat out to her.

"I did can it Derek…in the bathroom…Duh?" Vicky rolled her eyes as she dumbly looked at Derek.

Derek could almost hear the cheesy laughing audience sound effect in the background. He shook his head. _Five more miles Derek. Five more miles. _He just hoped he could handle it.

* * *

Once they arrived at Vicky's house, her house, and the street was pitch black. The only streetlight that was working was flickering. Go figure. She wasn't his problem after this. Derek nudged a sleeping Vicky. He clacked his tongue at her.

"Get out of my car Icky. You smell like Edwin after he puked up that exotic cheese Nora brought home."

Her mouth gaped open as she let out an offended squawk. She jerked open the door and looked at Casey. "Never could get an-nything you wanted, ehh cos?" Vicky said with a snort at her own joke.

Casey crossed her arms and looked at the floor of the car. Derek felt his jaw lock as he glowered at Vicky. He grabbed the handle of the door and slammed it shut, nearly catching Vicky's hand in the door.

"I was only kidding!" Vicky yelped. Casey took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Goodbye Vicky," Casey stated coldly. "Let's go Derek."

Derek was about to question if she wanted to move up to sit by him, but then he started to wonder why he wanted her to. He nodded to Casey anyway and began to drive, watching his rearview as Vicky became a small dot behind him.

It seemed like he'd been driving for hours before Derek finally pulled into the driveway of the Venturi-MacDonald residence. He sighed a breath of relief as he saw the light in the living room was turned on. Derek parked in the drive way and unlocked the car. The inside light illuminated to a dim glow. He stretched briefly as he turned around to look at Casey. She was asleep, tears staining her face. Of course she knew he wouldn't be able to hear her with all of the music. He unclicked his seatbelt and made his way over to Casey. He opened the door and nudged her.

"Hey, wakey-wakey—" He pondered for a moment, "Casey…Casey?" Derek finished lamely. He was never good with rhymes. Casey gave him a glassy gaze. She was still half-asleep. He let out a groan. He just wanted to sleep.

"Com'on Case. We're back." Derek crouched down and nudged Casey's shoulder a little more forcefully this time. He looked at his watch, and hoped Nora wasn't wondering why it was taking so long.

Casey's eyelids fluttered open as she wiped her eyes, a murky line of mascara appearing on her finger.

"Well that's just perfect; I probably look awful," She mumbled. "Don't comment on that." She finished, avoiding Derek's eyes.

"I wasn't planning on it." Derek said in a soft voice. He watched Casey as she wiped makeup off parts of her face. His legs were falling asleep from crouching for this long so he spoke up.

"Come on Case. I'm tired and I _**know **_you don't want me to be cranky tomorrow." Derek said as he held out his hand for her to grab.

She raised her eyebrow and gave an amusing look.

"You're offering me your hand?"

Derek rolled his eyes and stood back up. He put his hands in his pocket and looked down at Casey.

"Not anymore Princess. Now get up before I have to drag you out." Derek said as he began walking towards the house.

Casey shook her head with a light laugh as she stepped out of the car. It was a little chillier than earlier. She felt the cool air brisk turn cold. It ran through her hair as she stretched. Derek was nearly to the door before Casey came scurrying behind him. Before Derek knew it, Casey had her arms wrapped around him from behind. He flinched and almost pushed her off at first.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Derek whispered, clearly alarmed and not amused.

"Obviously, I'm hugging you." Casey whispered back, smirking while squeezing Derek tightly.

"Well here's an idea," Derek removed Casey's hands from his sides and turned to her. "Save some of that hugging for a tree. In fact, there's a nice one over there!" Derek whisper shouted in annoyance.

"Why can't you just be normal for a minute and let me hug you!?" Casey whisper shouted back at Derek.

"Because I don't want you to hug me, which _makes _me normal." Derek retorted with an eye roll.

Casey swallowed hard and looked toward the ground. Derek groaned again in guilt. Did he _really _offend her? Why did she want to hug him in the first place? _Well obviously, she was showing her thanks for you_ **_caring_**. He could almost hear the mocking voice inside his head. He snapped back to reality at the sound of Casey's change in tone.

"Sorry." She murmured. Just as she was just about to open the door, Derek sighed. Why did she _always _do this to him?

"Come here." He said unenthusiastically, holding out his arms. Casey kept her focus on the ground and shook her head.

"I'm fine, thanks." She wiped her nose and started to open the door. Derek maneuvered around her and shut it.

"I said, come here." Derek said with a more serious tone. He watched Casey as she brought her head up. She met his eyes for a moment and shifted towards him. She put her arms around him awkwardly. He sighed and spoke in a light voice.

"I'm not going to bite Case. If I really cared that you're hugging me again, I would've pushed you away by now."

Casey nodded awkwardly and relaxed. She felt Derek put his arms around her back. After a moment, Casey's body began to feel weak. The toil of her crying was setting in. She hadn't realized her arms had slowly been sliding down Derek's torso. Before she could move, she felt his whole body tense up against hers.

"Oo-kay that's enough." Derek muttered nervously, quickly. He backed away, nearly falling off the step.

"Are you—"

"I'm fine. Can we go in now?" Derek mumbled as he fixed the collar on his jacket and began to open the door.

"Yeah. Sure. We can go in." Casey nodded, almost as if she was trying to be sure herself. She walked in first; Derek began to walk in behind her.

He released a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes. _Jesus. _He felt a pulsing, pressure filled sensation emerging; He bit his lip to fight it back. He looked down. _Damn it. _That pulsing feeling was definitely not coming from his heart.

* * *

Hahahaha, Hey guys! That was the 2nd chapter of Behind Cold Nights. Sorry that the updating took basically a month. The ACT, AP testing, and the end of junior year has really been stressful! I finally got this chapter done. I only have a few requests. I'm so glad to see the awesome feedback from some reviews, but I definitely see that people have put this story on their favorites, or follow it, but are not reviewing. I do really love how you guys enjoy the story, but it would be appreciated if I could get more reviews on how this story really sounds. If it's realistic, if it's not, and what more I can do for it. If not, it's fine, but this could possibly decrease the update-time for the next chapter ;). Anyway, thanks for reading this. There is more to come!

-Linds


	3. Chapter 3

Derek let out a breath as him and Casey walked into the house. Nora woke up suddenly and looked at them. Casey put on a small smile, "Hey Mom, what're you doing up?" Casey tried holding it together.

"Waiting for you," Nora smiled slightly as she looked at them, "Derek called."

Casey felt herself taken back with shock. She looked at Derek. He accepted her gaze, but gave her a cheeky smile. She couldn't even begin to find the words to say to him right now.

"You okay?" Nora said her eyes right in line with Casey's. Casey shifted a little bit and tried to smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Her voice quivered a little, it took all of Derek's will not to say anything to Casey.

Nora looked at Casey, and that was all it took. Casey trembled as she walked over to Nora, Derek watched Casey as he could hear her tears forming.

"Mom…" Casey said, her voice shaking. Derek watched for a moment as Nora and Casey embraced. He knew he couldn't just stand there and watch. He couldn't do _**anything**_. So, of course, he did what he thought he had to do, he joked it off.

"More tears? You're like Niagara Falls!" Derek watched for a moment before speaking again, "Night ladies."

He shuffled up the stairs, cursing at himself. Edwin popped his head out of his room, ready to speak. Derek shook his head in annoyance and pointed his finger toward Edwin's room. Edwin rolled his eyes and shut the door. Derek threw himself onto his bed and made little attempt to shut his door. He felt defeated in a way he didn't understand.

The muffled voices died down as he heard the two walk up the steps. Casey made a brief, but small glance into Derek's room. Derek looked at her briefly and turned his body away from the door. He felt a lump forming in his throat. He wanted to tell her what he'd meant to say earlier, before Vicky interrupted. But he couldn't, not now.

"Derek, can I talk to you for a second?"

He was caught off guard by the voice. He jerked and quickly wiped his nose; then turned around in a seated position to face her, Nora. She was looking at him in a peculiar way; A way that made him uncomfortable, almost as if she knew something about him. He had a moment when he realized what was on her mind.

"Oh hey, erm, earlier on the phone, it was a dead zone—"

Nora waved her hand at him while attempting to laugh, "Derek, I don't care about the phone call,"

Derek brought his eyebrows inward to a confused position, "Then why are you looking at me like that?" He kind of laughed without meaning it. He glanced down at his fingers, looking up quickly to meet Nora's eyes. She shook her head at him, not in a scolding way though, it was different.

"You just remind me a lot of your father," She stopped to bite her fingernail and turn away.

Derek was now in a tightly locked position, staring at the floor. He felt himself nod,

"Yeah, you say that a lot," Derek said, beginning to sound irritated. He jolted onto his feet and was face to face with Nora. He cleared his throat,

"Now, if that's all, I'm really tired and—'' Nora held up a finger to him. Derek sucked in a deep breath of air and tightened his lips.

"Casey appreciates what you did tonight Derek, and I know you hate to hear it, but Casey does care..." He was about to speak, but found he didn't know what to say. Under pressure, he really stunk.

"Well—I…" Derek fought to find the right words. "Casey should appreciate what I did!" Derek stammered. Nora crossed her arms, clearly offended. Derek shook his head toward the ground, as if disgusted with his own response.

"That's not what I meant," He threw his hands up in the air, he was getting frustrated; "I mean—I care about—'' A small thud was produced behind Casey's door. Derek stopped himself as he realized what happened, "I mean… I don't know what the hell I mean!"

Casey emerged from her room, holding the side of her head. She smiled at the two. "Hello," She said perkily. "Sorry—I just… fell off my..." Her and Derek eyes met as she stammered, "Yeah, I'm just gonna go." Casey walked in and shut the bathroom door.

"Yeah, me too." Derek angrily said. He shut his door, Nora knocked, but he didn't care, he didn't care about anything, or anyone. He wasn't going to say Casey. He didn't _care _about Casey. …Did he?

* * *

Early the Next Morning...

* * *

It was often this time when Derek made impulse decisions. He regretted most of them, but that was something he'd never admit. He sat up in his bed and looked at the phone in his hand. His fingers almost begged to call him… to call Truman. He looked at the clock, it was 6am, and the sun was releasing a faint glow into his window. If he wanted to do this, it'd have to be now.

He let his fingers dial as he let out a quick breath before putting the phone to his ear.

The phone almost went to the machine, Derek almost hung up, but he didn't, and Truman did in fact, answer. He sounded groggy, like he had a hangover. Derek felt that was almost revenge in itself…almost.

"Truman?" Derek put on an official tone, sounding as serious as he could when it was 6am on a Saturday.

Truman sounded confused when he answered; more confused than he usually was at least…

"Derek… wait, is this a joke?" Truman's slightly nasally tone returned behind his hangover.

"You wish this was a joke, now listen here, and listen good." Derek felt a sense of empowerment, an adrenaline rush. He was at a momentary loss for words when he heard Casey shift in bed. She hit her elbow on the wall. She always did at some point when she slept, and Derek was snapped into reality. He had to be careful with this.

"Hello?" Truman's voice echoed, like an eerie annoyance in Derek's mind.

"I want you to call Casey and apologize," Derek said a little quieter than before. He drummed his fingers on the side of the phone as he mocked Truman's words.

"I don't care if you already did, I'm telling you to _do it again_. You hurt Casey, and you better do what I say." Derek threatened.

The door suddenly squeaked open, a dazed George standing at Derek's door. He quickly hid the phone under his blanket, in a rather… inconvenient place.

"Derek, were you talking to someone?" George yawned while rubbing his eyes.

"What? No… I was sleep…talking?" Derek shrugged his shoulders as if it was a normal occurrence.

"Well…okay…" George gave Derek a suspicious look; his eyes scanned Derek's room, and fell down. Right on the phony excuse.

"Rise and shine, right Dad?" Derek said with an awkward wink at his Dad.

"Erm… yeah, right Son…" George glanced at the rising sun, and his son, rising. He tried to hide his flushing face as he shut the door. Derek sighed a breath of relief as he picked up the phone. Truman hung up, thankfully. Derek hoped he got the picture.

* * *

The usual banter between Lizzie and Edwin slightly woke Derek, but he knew how to shake them off. He settled back into his covers when the phone rang, echoing through Derek's veins. There always seemed to be a rude awakening, but this was pushing it. Oh no... It was Truman. He sucked in a quick breath as he watched the phone on his nightstand. He heard a squeaky, chipper voice emerge from outside. He released flatly. Marti, of course. Derek heard them say Casey. The slim-bucket followed Derek's advice! He bit his lip, though this probably wasn't what he was expecting. The trio seemed to banter back and forth at Truman for what seemed like hours before hanging up. Casey apparently walked out of her room, to confront them. _Ha_. Derek thought, _thanking them. She should be thanking me… _He listened intently, then decided he better make a smooth intro,

"Hey, I'm trying to sleep, could you keep it down?!" He smirked at himself, silently.

Before he could have his picturesque TV moment, the door opened, Casey appearing.

"What are you smiling at?" She said, giving Derek an amused look.

Derek's smile disappeared. "Nothing, nothing at all." He said, stretching, as he shifted himself into an upward position. Casey let out a slight gasp as she saw Derek had no shirt on.

His cheeky smirk returned as she blushed lightly.

"Relax Princess, I have pants on." He moved the covers as he stood. She slowly nodded, clearly embarrassed.

"Now if you'll excuu-se me, I need to wash the Casey stench from last night off of me," He brushed past Casey who scoffed at Derek.

"I do _**not **_have a stench." She yelled to the closed door of the bathroom. The shower started running.

The door opened a tiny crack, Derek's head popped out, Casey's eyes widened, though nothing was visible.

"Do me a favor and don't come in, I know how you like listening in on conversations, who knows if you like peeping too?" He winked at Casey as he shut the door.

Stunned, Casey felt herself walk back to her room. She sat on her bed and gave an offensive glance to no one. "Derek…" She said in her signature tone. She pondered for a moment, and spoke again,

"Derek…" She attempted to say in her signature tone, but instead was flat with defeat. Casey picked up the phone just as it rang, "MOM" read the caller ID.

"Hello?" Casey said, clearing her throat and looking at her nails.

"Get your wedding ring? Why," Casey was on her feet, and pacing around her room. "Yes, I know the neighbors just got married… Who cares if she thinks her ring is better?! Mo—'' Casey paused. It was useless. She sighed with a look of defeat and entered the hallway. "Where is it?" Casey felt her throat tighten as she gripped the phone. Nora was still talking, but all Casey could hear was the running water in the bathroom, and the silent sound of the ring on the sink.

* * *

Hey guys, thanks for reading! I don't know if I liked this chapter as much as the rest, but I do love giving you guys twists and turns, so I hope that you enjoyed it. I am on summer break, so I assume with how boring my summer is so far, that I will write the next chapter soon. I would appreciate if you guys who are following and have not reviewed, to drop a review! I really am happy you guys enjoy the story, but the more reviews and feedback I get, the more I am likely to write more, and in a shorter amount of time, but still. I do appreciate reviews, and the amount of enjoyment you all are getting from this story!They both help me a lot. Thank you for reading, and liking this story. :). Dasey on. (PS, if you think you know where this story is going based on the last line… you have no idea ;D)

-Linds


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